Caprese Pasta Salad

Here is a healthy and delicious pasta salad that will leave you satisfied without the guilty conscious!  With all of the healthy protein from the mozzarella and turkey, you won't be hungry an hour after lunch, but it is light enough that you won't be weighed down.  Enjoy!

~ Caprese Pasta Salad

4 cups of noodles, cooked al dente

5 leaves finely chopped basil

1 cup diced fresh mozzarella

8 oz oven roasted deli turkey, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 cup baby tomatoes, halved

1 cup fat-free balsamic dressing

Mix all ingredients and chill before eating for optimal yumminess!

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken and Stuffed Pepper Poppers

This meal is all about the awesomeness of stuffed foods.  A healthy and delicious chicken breast filled with spinach accompanied by virtually carb-free, crunchy, and creamy pepper poppers!  This meal will leave you stuffed without any of the guilt!

~Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken

2 chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally
3 pieces of bread
1 Tablespoon Greek seasoning
1 pack frozen spinach
1 T lemon juice
Salt/pepper, to taste
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup Milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a food processor, pulse the bread and Greek seasoning until combined.
Sauté spinach, salt, pepper, and lemon juice—add the feta cheese.
Spread the spinach mixture onto each piece of chicken and roll up; secure with toothpicks.
Dip in milk and roll in breadcrumbs.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Serve over quinoa or cous cous.

~Stuffed Pepper Poppers

10 mini peppers, washed and stems removed

2 mozzarella cheese sticks

1/4 cup feta

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  

Cut each cheese stick into fifths.  

Sprinkle a pinch of feta into the bottom of each pepper.  

Place one of the cheese stick pieces into the pepper, sealing in the crumbly feta.  

Bake for 10 minutes and then broil (on high) for 1 minute.

Reese's Egg Redo

Reese's Egg Redo

Reese's eggs are delicious and addictive.  And as I recently learned, they are so fun to make!  This is a great and easy project for anyone-- kids, seasoned chefs, crafters, and those who aren't so kitchen savvy.  No matter your expertise, people will be calling you Martha Stewart before you know it!

Ingredients:

Townhouse Oval Crackers

Peanut Butter (I went with crunchy)

White and Chocolate Chips

Sprinkles

Popsicle Sticks (optional)

Spread peanut butter between the crackers and insert a stick (if you want to make Reese's Pops).

Place the peanut butter sandwiches in the freezer while you are melting the chocolate so that the peanut butter hardens.  It makes the next step so much easier.

Once your chocolate is melted, dip the cookies into the chocolate and cover in sprinkles.  Place on parchment paper to allow to set, or if you are impatient, like me, put the crackers in the freezer.  They are delicious at room temperature or frozen!

It's All Greek to Me

An easy and delicious chicken that stays juicy when baked!

~Oven Baked Greek Chicken

2 chicken breasts
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 cup light sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Clean the chicken and put in a zip top plastic bag.  Mix all remaining ingredients and put the mixture in the bag.  Marinate the chicken 30 minutes to overnight.  Place the chicken on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Flip the chicken and bake for 10 minutes more.  Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving!

Drop Biscuits

Well, it has been over a year since I posted on the blog, and man, have things changed!  I have graduated from nursing school with my accelerated BSN, worked night shift in the Intensive Care Unit, got engaged to my longtime college sweetheart, planned a wedding, switched to day shift, and married my college sweetheart on October 4, 2014.  After a few months of settling into married life, Christmas passed and it's officially 2015, and I am so ready to be back to blogging. Even though I have been slack (understatement) about posting, I never stopped cooking and baking.  I'm back, baby doll, and first up, are my easy drop biscuits...

Drop Biscuits

2 cups flour

2 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 T sugar

½ cup chilled butter, diced

1 ¼ cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine flour, powder, salt, and sugar.  Sift.  Cut in butter.  Add milk.  Drop by the spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.  Bake 18 minutes.  (Switching the top and bottom pans half way through the bake time).  Makes 30 biscuits.

**Tip-- when trying to wash the bowl afterwards, use a balled-up piece of aluminum foil in place of a sponge to avoid the dough getting stuck in the sponge.  Ew.**

Creamy Mediterranean Chicken

This recipe is a great way to enjoy a creamy pasta dish without all the fat and calories as those that you get at restaurants!  The chickpeas and reduced-fat cream cheese combine to make a rich sauce that will make you think that you're cheating on your diet!

Creamy Mediterranean Chicken

2/3 cup chicken broth

8 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed

1 can chickpeas, rinsed

1/4 cup fat-free Italian Dressing

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced

4 slices deli ham

1 package baby spinach leaves

1 1/2 cups angel hair pasta, cooked

Blend broth, cream cheese, 1/2 cup chickpeas, and Italian dressing in a blender until smooth and set aside.

Saute chicken until cooked.  Add ham and remaining chickpeas.  Pour cream cheese sauce over ingredients in the skillet; cover with lid.  Simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes.  Toss in pasta.

Call Me a Hippie, but I Love Granola

I have always loved granola, but the high fat content and calories always deterred me from eating it.  When my sweet boyfriend got some granola as a housewarming gift from his new neighbors, I got inspired to create my own "healthi-fied" granola recipe!

~Crunchy Granola

6 cups rolled oats

1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 cup coconut

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash salt

6 T honey 

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup craisins

2 T brown sugar

1/2 cup almond milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, mix honey, almond milk, and brown sugar over medium heat until combined.  In a bowl, combine oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon, salt and mixture from the saucepan. Place on a sheet pan and put in oven. Bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, stirring occasionally. 

Remove pan from oven and add raisins. Cool on a rack, stirring once in a while until granola reaches room temperature. Transfer to a sealed container.

Enjoy on top of granola, with milk, or just sneaking it from the container!